The present invention relates to an improvement in the methods employed by hunters to attract waterfowl to a specific hunting area. More specifically, to a distinctly sided waterfowl decoy that is designed in a manner so that each of the two sides of the decoy will mimic one type (gender or relative age) of waterfowl or even different species of waterfowl. Additionally, this distinctly sided waterfowl decoy will be constructed in a manner so that when properly deployed, it will flutter in the wind in order to perform its attracting function in a more efficient manner.
Hunters have used decoys in their pursuit of waterfowl throughout history. Generally, this involves the placement of waterfowl decoys either on the surface of a body of water or dispersed in an open field. The decoys used for this purpose are constructed in a manner so that they resemble the specific species of waterfowl that the hunter is pursuing thereby increasing the hunter's chances of attracting that species of waterfowl.
The placement of the decoys in this manner constructs an illusion that the area is populated with waterfowl of an identifiable species which in turn draws waterfowl of that species into the area. The hunter takes up a concealed position such as a hunting blind, a camouflaged boat, a stand of reeds or brush, or any other suitable position that is located adjacent to the deployed decoys. This method of hunting allows the hunter to take his quarry as they enter the kill zone to land among the decoys.
While this method of hunting waterfowl has proven to be successful over time, it has limitations. The first of these is that the most commonly used decoys are too static and consequently do not mimic the characteristics of waterfowl whether they be in flight, on the surface of a body of water, or feeding on land. Additionally, these types of decoys are generally bulky making them hard to transport and are relatively expensive to manufacture and own. Finally, the very nature of these types of decoys requires the use of different decoys to attract different species of waterfowl. Again, this tends to exacerbate the difficulties associated with their relative bulk and cost.
While these decoys are at least partially effective in their designed purpose, it has been understood for a long period of time that it would be beneficial to somehow provide a more dynamic decoy. In order to accomplish this, it was necessary to provide a means of accurately mimicking the flight characteristics of waterfowl to further enhance the overall effectiveness of deployed decoys. The prior art illustrates numerous attempts at providing such decoys, the bulk of which can be divided into two general categories. The first of these can be described as kite-like in their manner of operation and appearance. While these are generally effective in their designed purpose, they are not relevant to the specifics of this discussion.
The second general category is made up of wind articulated decoys that are anchored in the hunting area by means of pole or rod. This category can then be further broken down into those that are connected to the mount pole in a central location. This type tends to spin around this mounting when affected by the wind. The second type is connected to the pole at one end of its body, most commonly that end that depicts the head of the target species. This type tends to flutter out in a generally horizontal manner much like the operation of an airport's wind sock.
While these animated waterfowl decoys have been shown to be effective in attracting the desired waterfowl they still suffer from deficiencies. The most significant of these is that they still require the use of a plurality of units to mimic different species or even different individuals with a given species. This limitation operates to impact the overall effectiveness of these decoys thereby providing the opportunity for improving these waterfowl decoys.
Therefore, from the forgoing discussion it can be seen that it would be desirable to provide a waterfowl decoy that can be produced in a cost-effective manner thereby allowing for their use in a greater variety of circumstances. It can also be seen that it would be desirable to provide such a waterfowl decoy that is both compact and lightweight making it easier to use and to transport. Additionally, it can be seen that it would be desirable to provide a waterfowl decoy that is capable of mimicking more than one species or type of waterfowl thereby lessening the costs associated with their use.